Xiao Yi's true admiration for Yun Yichen began the day the two of them went out to find an opportunity to attack Luo Yan. To ensure perfect results, Yun Yichen had actually spent the better part of the day crouching on the beams of the house. It wasn't until someone brought the medicine bowl into the house, and Luo Yan personally took it, that Yun Yichen signaled him. Seizing the moment of a noise outside, he tossed the crushed but still unbroken pill into Luo Yan's bowl, watched him drink it, and fell asleep before quietly leaving.
This man is patient and methodical in his work, unlike the other playboys in the palace. It would be a good choice for my sister to marry him.
The day Yun Ruonan went to see Xiao Yao, she actually hugged her arms and cried. Xiao Yao's eyes were red. She wiped her tears and promised that she would never let herself get hurt again. But Yun Ruonan still shook her head, not believing Xiao Yao's promise at all: "Then what do you say? Isn't it enough that I will listen to you?"
"Let Prince Jing's Mansion take care of you from now on."
Xiao Yao did not delve into the meaning of this sentence. In order to quickly appease Yun Ruonan, she had to agree to this unequal condition.
Yun Ruonan sat up straight and made a pinky promise with Xiao Yao, repeatedly telling her not to go back on her word, otherwise she would not forgive her.
"I understand, housekeeper." Xiao Yao also stretched out her hand and let Yun Ruonan shake hands with her. The people around her watched the interaction between the sister-in-law and the sister-in-law with joy, hoping that after Xiao Yao had experienced this ordeal, her future would be smooth sailing and she would live a peaceful and tranquil life.
After a few days of welcoming and seeing off guests, Tong Mingyu suddenly remembered that her father-in-law's 75th birthday was less than ten days away. She wondered how the other wives were preparing. For the sake of her daughter, she had completely given up on household matters. The younger wives were taking on the responsibility for the first time, and she didn't know if anything would go wrong.
After checking around, he found that apart from some minor flaws, there was generally no problem. It seemed that he could devote all his energy to preparing dowry and marriage for his daughter.
What was worrying was that her daughter was due to get married in a few months, yet she herself didn't know about it. Tong Mingyu found it even harder to bring it up now. She couldn't help but make it clear, but if she did, she was afraid her daughter, who had just woken up, wouldn't be able to accept it. She was so torn.
The New Year is just three months away. We can't tell our daughter the day before her wedding that we have found a husband for her and that she will marry into Prince Jing's mansion tomorrow.
Xiao Jingkang comforted his wife: "Ping An has already said that the marriage is up to us. I don't know what you are worried about. Wait until she is better and tell her about it. I guarantee that she won't say a word."
The old man didn't think it was a big deal. His granddaughter had always been obedient and got along well with the princess and the county magistrate. He hadn't seen his granddaughter dating other boys in recent years, and among the people she knew, there was no one better than Yun Yichen. Since both families were satisfied, he believed she wouldn't object.
The old man's birthday was approaching, as this year he was turning seventy-fifth. His granddaughter also woke up at this time, and the old man was so happy that he requested a grand feast. Everyone was busy because of this order, except Xiao Yao, who was ordered to stay in bed. She was so bored that she felt like she was growing weeds.
Early in the morning on the birthday, Xiao Yao kowtowed three times to the old man at her residence. She said to her grandfather with great regret, "I owe you a birthday gift. I will make it up to you before the New Year."
The old man hugged his granddaughter and said with a smile: "You have given your grandfather the best gift."
Xiao Yao looked up at her grandfather in surprise. She hadn't stitched a needle or given anything to her grandfather, so how could the old man say that?
"Silly child, as long as you can wake up, it will be the best birthday present for Grandpa. You don't need to prepare anything else, okay?"
Xiao Yao hugged her grandfather's waist and rubbed him in his arms. After a while, Xiao Yao urged her grandfather to go back to Ninghetang. Today, he was the absolute protagonist. How could he accompany her alone?
The Deqing Grand Princess's residence also sent representatives to today's banquet, and several clan members also showed up uninvited. This caused officials to look at the Xiao family with a different eye. Furthermore, the frequent interactions between Prince Jing's residence and the Xiao family had already led some to whisper privately that Yun Yichen and Xiao Yao might be getting married soon, and that a grand wedding would be held in Kyoto.
Of course, some people held different opinions. Those officials who wanted to marry their daughters or granddaughters to Prince Jing's palace stood in one camp. Just as the two sides were about to fight, a voice suddenly rang out from outside the door: "The imperial edict has arrived."
The people who were arguing just now suddenly quieted down. Could it be that the emperor promoted the Xiao family again, or gave a reward to the old man? Either way, it was enough to make people envious.
No one expected that the person who came was Chen He, a popular figure in front of the emperor. He first saluted in the direction of King Jing, then clasped his fists and wished Old Man Xiao a happy birthday: "I wish you a happy birthday every year."
Old Master Xiao thanked Chen He with a smile, and was not in a hurry to ask him the purpose of his visit. He already had a vague feeling in his heart that this imperial edict might be related to his granddaughter's marriage.
Chen He muttered to himself, "Old fox," and then explained his purpose: "Excuse me, where is your eldest daughter? The emperor, considering that she has not yet recovered, has sent me to her residence to announce his decree."
Those who knew about the engagement between Prince Jing's Mansion and the Xiao family immediately understood what was going on and were just waiting to say "congratulations" to both families.
Yun Yichen had no idea his uncle would issue an imperial decree granting the marriage today. What if the little girl refused or cried in public? Yun Yichen's plan was to wait for Xiao Yao to recover and then have his mother-in-law slowly reveal the news to her. Even if she refused, no one else would know. But now that the imperial decree had been issued, all his plans were disrupted.
King Jing held his son down. The emperor had already issued the order, so there was no reason to take it back. He really wanted to see how his daughter-in-law would react when she received the imperial edict.
Xiao Jingkang walked out of the crowd and replied to Chen He with a faint smile: "My daughter's residence is in the back. I will take my father-in-law there right away."
Who would want to miss out on such a lively event? So those who wanted to catch a glimpse of the beauty or know the contents of the imperial edict all followed Xiao Jingkang's footsteps and headed towards Yaoyuan Tower.
"Congratulations, brother! You're finally going to have a formal status. Come on, what I want to do most now is to see the reaction of my junior sister. What do you think we should do if she refuses to accept the imperial edict or rejects the marriage in public?" Mu Fengwu showed no sign of worrying about his friend, nor did he hide the gloating expression on his face.
As an ally, Kong Xuzhe knew that he should support Yun Yichen, but after hearing what Mu Fengwu said, he just wanted to watch the fun and had forgotten about Yun Yichen.
Seeing that several people were still nagging, Yun Yifan patted his cousin's shoulder and left them alone. After experiencing Xiao Yao's sleep, he also figured it out. As long as Xiao Yao is fine, what else can't he let go of? Ever since Xiao Yao woke up, he has let go of this matter, and it can be said that it is hidden in the deepest part of his heart.
Because of their kinship, he couldn't dream like Mu Fengwu that one day his son would marry his junior sister's daughter. But he hoped to have a daughter soon, so that when his junior sister had a daughter, they could become a pair of good sisters, just like the two junior sisters, close and growing up together.
Yun Yichen glared at his two bad friends and ignored them. Even though he was feeling uneasy, he couldn't help but want to see Xiao Yao's reaction.
Xiao Yao, sitting on her bed, reading under a thin blanket, didn't expect her parents to come to her place. Shouldn't they be entertaining guests outside at this time? Did she remember the date wrong? Wasn't it her grandfather's birthday today?
Tong Mingyu simply said that the Emperor had an imperial decree and that she needed to go receive it in person. She then summoned Xiaofu and Xiying to help Xiao Yao change her clothes and wash up. She wanted to tell her daughter the purpose of the visitor from the palace, but Chen He had said that no one was allowed to leak a single word. The Emperor wanted to know Xiao Yao's true reaction, and based on that, he would determine the specifications of the wedding.
In other words, if Xiao Yao is satisfied with Yun Yichen and this marriage, the emperor will hold a grand wedding for her. Otherwise, the standards will be lowered, and the extent of the lowering will depend entirely on her performance.
Seeing Tong Mingyu's hesitant expression, Xiao Yao stopped asking her what she was thinking. According to Xiao Yao's guess, the emperor might have given her to Luo Yan.
When Xiao Jingkang carried his daughter out of Yaoyuan Building, the yard was already full of people. Xiao Yao nodded to the familiar people in the crowd, and slowly knelt down with the support of Tong Mingyu.
After not seeing her for over ten days, the little girl's complexion had recovered somewhat, but she still looked frail. Since the Emperor's uncle could come up with such a way to make things difficult for her, I decided to go to her place and collect some medicinal herbs for her. They didn't need to be too much, just a few pounds of thousand-year-old ginseng, donkey-hide gelatin, and bird's nest would be enough.
Chen He said amiably, "I'm sorry, young lady. I'll read the imperial edict to you now. You can go back and rest after you receive it."
Xiao Yao replied respectfully, "Thank you for your consideration, Your Majesty. I'm sorry to bother you, eunuch."
"By the providence of Heaven, the Emperor proclaims: Xiao Yao, the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery, is of outstanding appearance, virtuous, and gentle character. The Empress and I are delighted to hear of her. When the Crown Prince of Jing is ready to marry, he should choose a virtuous woman. Xiao Yao is still unmarried, and she is a perfect match for the Crown Prince of Jing. To fulfill her beauty, Xiao Yao is betrothed to the Crown Prince of Jing as his consort..."
Xiao Yao was confused by the rest of the imperial edict, but she heard two names very clearly: Xiao Yao and Yun Yichen. How could this be possible? After Chen He finished reading the imperial edict, he began to observe Xiao Yao's reaction. The emperor had said that she must report everything to him after returning.
Xiao Yao looked at Tong Mingyu in confusion. Seeing her parents nod at her at the same time, she looked around the crowd again, eager to know her grandfather's attitude after hearing the decree. "Eunuch Chen, is it possible that you sent this decree to the wrong person, or wrote the wrong name?"
Chen He was relieved to see that Xiao Yao didn't object outright, but was just a little incredulous. He was really worried that Xiao Yao would make a scene, and then the Crown Prince and the Jing Palace would become a laughing stock, the Emperor would be furious, and the Xiao family would not stand a chance of getting any benefits.
Not only would he, the eunuch who delivered the imperial edict, not get any benefits, he would probably also be in trouble. Although Miss Xiao's reaction was not very good, at least he could complete his mission when he returned.
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